5 from 3 votes
Mediterranean Venison Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Mediterranean venison meatballs with tzatziki are flavorful, tender, and perfectly balanced with fresh herbs and tangy pickled onions. Serve with flatbread, rice, or salad for a hearty meal.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings:
24
meatballs
Calories:
65 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Mediterranean
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt whole milk
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest fresh
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cucumber English, seeds removed and grated
- 1 tablespoon mint fresh, finely chopped
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground venison or other lean ground meat
- 1 egg large
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup onion yellow, grated, or 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh, finely chopped, or ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon oregano fresh, finely chopped, or ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon thyme fresh, finely chopped, or ½ tablespoon dried thyme
Toppings (optional)
- red onion pickled
- parsley Italian, chopped
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
- Combine all ingredients except cucumber and mint in a small bowl. Whisk until well-combined. Fold in cucumber and mint. Transfer to a glass jar for easy storage. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to let flavors marry. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Cup of Yum
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- To a medium bowl add egg, milk, bread crumbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a whisk. Let mixture sit while you prepare other ingredients (onions, garlic, herbs, etc.), about 5 minutes. The breadcrumbs will absorb the wet ingredients which helps the meatballs stick together.
- Add meat, onion, garlic, and herbs to the bowl. Gently mix together with your hands until well combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the meat into 24 equal portions, about 2 tablespoon each.
- Gently form each portion into a ball. Place meatballs on a parchment paper-lined pan, evenly spaced. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F and the outsides are golden brown.
- If you'd like to brown your meatballs a little more, you can broil them on high for 3-5 minutes after the initial cooking time.
Serving
- Top meatballs with chopped parsley and pickled red onions. Serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
- Any wild game meat, ground beef, etc. can be used in place of venison in this meatball recipe.
- I like to make my own tzatziki sauce. If you're short on time, there are storebought options as well!
- One of the secrets to tender meatballs is to gently mix the ingredients. If you overmix the ingredients or compact the meat mixture too much, you'll end up with tough meatballs.
- A cookie scoop is a handy tool to make evenly-sized meatballs. But, you can also portion them by hand.
- These venison meatballs are super tender, so they are best baked in an oven to avoid breaking them. You can cook them in a pan on the stovetop, but be careful when you flip them!
- Parchment paper is essential to making sure your meatballs don't stick to the baking sheet.
- Venison meatballs are perfect for freezing! You can freeze them either raw or cooked, then cook or reheat them later for a quick and convenient meal.
Nutrition Information
Calories
65kcal
(3%)
Carbohydrates
3g
(1%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
3g
(5%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.3g
(2%)
Monounsaturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Trans Fat
0.001g
(0%)
Cholesterol
24mg
(8%)
Sodium
113mg
(5%)
Potassium
110mg
(2%)
Fiber
0.3g
(1%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
64IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
2mg
(2%)
Calcium
33mg
(3%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 24 meatballs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 65
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 65kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 3g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.3g | 2% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 0.001g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 24mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 113mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 110mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 64IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 33mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.